Free SCARRED - Part 2 (The SCARRED Series - Book 2) by Kylie Walker

ready.”
    “I’ll agree to think about meeting them,” she said. “You can tell them, I suppose. I’m guessing if they’re rich, they’ll want a DNA test to make sure I’m not trying to scam them.”
    “I doubt they’ll ask, but when the time comes, if that’s something you would like to do in order to be sure, I can arrange it.”
    “Do you have other pictures of her?” Chloe asked. Derek didn’t have to ask who.
    “Yes. Would you like to see them?” She nodded and he excused himself. He went into the bedroom and took out an album he had in his dresser drawer. It was an album that Samantha had given Sarah on her twenty-first birthday. It had photos of her from birth through that very day. A lot of the pictures had him in them too and he wondered for a second if that would bother Chloe. He decided that this was one of those things they would have to get past if they had any chance of any kind of future.
    He took the album out and sat back down at the table. “You sure about this?” he asked her. She looked up and nodded again. Derek sat the album down and Chloe opened it to the first page. She saw the date of her birth at the top and underneath was pictures of a beautiful baby girl with tufts of blonde hair and big brown eyes. The tears already began to form in her eyes before she even turned to the next page.
    He sat and watched her for a while and then suddenly feeling like he was intruding on an intensely private moment he got up and started moving around the kitchen. He took out some chicken breasts that he had in the refrigerator and began slicing it into long strips. He went back to the refrigerator and took out some vegetables and began slicing them the same way. When Chloe finished going through the book, Derek handed her a box of tissue. She wiped her face and then said, “Can I use the bathroom?”
    He smiled, “Of course. You know where it’s at.” As he watched her go he felt his heart ache for her again. He couldn’t fathom finding out at twenty-four years old that you weren’t who you thought you were...especially if that twenty-four years had already been filled with so much pain. He took out a skillet and poured olive oil into the bottom of it. He was dropping the chicken in when he heard Chloe come back into the room.
    “What are you making?” she asked.
    “Stir fry. It’s my specialty.” She raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled sheepishly and said, “Okay fine, it’s the only thing that I know how to cook. But, it’s delicious. You’ll love it.”
    “I’m not sure if I should stay...”
    He turned so he was facing her and cautiously reached for her hands. She didn’t pull back so he took them both in his and said, “It’s only dinner, Chloe. I will never ask you to do anything that you don’t want to do or aren’t comfortable doing.”
    She nodded and he could see in her eyes that she wanted to trust him. She was trying and that was all that he could ask for in that moment. He did wish that she would take off those contact lenses. He wanted to really see her eyes. Eyes were important to him. He truly believed that they were the windows to your soul. He wanted to see her soul and although he knew in his head that it was way too soon for him to feel that way, his heart said something different.
    “Can I help?” she asked.
    “Nope, sit down and relax and watch the master at work.”
    She smiled, but to her credit she sat and watched and appeared to be interested. Every once in a while, her eyes would drift over to the album and he wished that he could read her thoughts. When dinner was ready, he fixed them both a plate and they took it up top to eat on the deck.
    They sat at a little bistro table Derek had there and he opened a bottle of wine. After pouring them both a glass he picked his up and said, “To new friends.”
    Chloe toasted with him and took a sip of her wine. She was quiet and he just let her be, knowing how much she had on her mind. The sun was